What to check before buying a used crane: hours, load test, counterweight

Start with the two numbers that set the price: year and hours

Year of manufacture and operating hours are the first two facts any experienced buyer asks for, and together they set the price band. A mobile crane has two meters: carrier (chassis) hours or road kilometres, and superstructure (crane) hours. Ask for a photo of both meters, not a number typed into a message.

Judge hours against the year. A working crane in a fleet typically logs several hundred to about a thousand crane hours per year. A ten-year-old crane with 3,000 crane hours has had a quiet life; the same crane with 12,000 hours has worked hard and the price should say so. Very low hours on an old crane are worth a question too: long storage brings its own problems with seals, hoses and electronics.

Capacity is a load chart, not a headline number

A crane sold as "100 tonnes" lifts 100 tonnes only at minimum radius, with full counterweight, on outriggers fully extended. What matters is what it lifts at the radius your jobs need. Ask which load chart applies, which counterweight it assumes and at which boom length.

Put your own lift in the message: "Does it lift 25 t at 18 m radius with the standard counterweight?" A seller who knows the machine answers from the chart in minutes. A seller who does not answer that question does not know the crane.

Boom, jib and configuration

Confirm the main boom length and telescoping system, and whether the fly jib or luffing jib is included, with how many sections. Jib sections and runners are expensive to source separately, and a listing photo taken with the jib fitted does not prove it is part of the sale.

For crawler cranes, confirm the boom sections and lengths supplied, the track width, the derrick or superlift equipment if any, and whether the crane comes with the transport frames and mats it needs.

• Main boom length and telescoping system (mobile) or boom sections supplied (crawler)
• Fly jib / luffing jib included, number of sections, runner
• Winches: number, rope length and condition
• Track width, transport frames and mats (crawler)

Counterweight: the most common hidden cost

Ask whether the full counterweight set is included and how it is split into slabs. Missing counterweight slabs are one of the most frequent surprises after purchase: each slab weighs tonnes, must be bought or fabricated, certified and transported. Ask for a photo of the stacked set with the plate numbers visible and compare the total with the manufacturer specification for that model.

Inspection certificates and load test

Request the actual documents, not a yes: the last periodic (annual) inspection report, the last load test date and result, the CE declaration of conformity for cranes sold into the EU, and any test certificate issued after a major repair. Check that the serial number on the documents matches the plate on the crane.

A crane that has been out of service for a while may need a new inspection and load test before it can work in your country. Price that into your offer, and ask the seller whether the crane will be delivered with a current test or "as is".

Service history, ownership and "why is it for sale?"

A single-owner crane with service records is worth more than the same crane with no history, and it is easier to resell. Ask for the maintenance log, the last major service and any structural or weld repair history on the boom.

Ask why it is being sold. Fleet renewal, a change of business focus and the end of a project are ordinary answers. Vague or shifting answers are a signal to slow down.

Condition items to look at, in person or on video

Ask for a live video walk-around with the engine running and the boom extended, and then arrange an independent inspection before you pay. An inspector costs a fraction of one hidden repair.

• Boom: straightness, dents, cracks, previous weld repairs, wear pads
• Slew ring: play and noise under load
• Wire ropes: broken wires, corrosion, kinks; hook block and sheaves
• Hydraulics: leaks at cylinders, hoses, valves; outrigger cylinders holding pressure
• Tyres or tracks: wear, matching sets, track tension components
• Cab and electronics: load moment indicator (LMI) errors and calibration date
• Engine: emission stage relevant for import and registration in your country

Transport, registration and the price you actually pay

The purchase price is only part of the cost. Confirm the dismantled transport weight and the number of trailers or axle loads, whether the crane is road-legal in your country, and who arranges export documents. Cross-border buyers should compare the delivered cost, not the ex-works price.

Eight questions to send in your first message

Copy these into your first inquiry. Sellers who answer all eight are the sellers worth travelling to see.

• Year, carrier hours or km, and crane (superstructure) hours — with meter photos
• Which load chart and counterweight configuration does the listed capacity assume?
• Main boom length; is the fly or luffing jib included, and with how many sections?
• Is the full counterweight set included? Photo of the stacked slabs
• Date and result of the last inspection and load test; CE documents
• Service history and any boom repair history
• Why is the crane for sale, and how long has it been out of work?
• Dismantled transport weight and whether export documents are provided